//------------------------------// // Snuggled and Confused // Story: Rarity Snuggles Everypony (Whether They Like It Or Not) // by PropMaster //------------------------------// “Well, Rarity, I’m not exactly sure what to tell you.” Twilight sat before Rarity and Applejack in the library, a small pile of books before her on the table. “I’d say that it seems like a regular case of sleepwalking, though you seem unusually mobile even for an extreme case.” “Oh,” Rarity murmured, looking down at the floor as a blush spread across her face. “I just don’t understand it. I don’t know why I found myself in Applejack’s room, or what could have driven me to go there in the middle of the night.” “Well, you were clingin’ t’ me somethin’ awful,” Applejack said with a smirk. “I am sorry, Applejack!” Rarity cried. “Ah know, sugarcube, just teasin’ ya a bit.” “Well, I don’t appreciate it. After all, if I ended up in your bed, goodness knows where else I’ve been!” Rarity said, clutching one hoof to her chest with an aghast expression of horror. Twilight giggled quietly. “Oh, well…a few nights ago you ended up in my bed.” Applejack and Rarity turned to stare at Twilight, jaws dropping open. Twilight returned their look. “What? It wasn’t a big deal, and I didn’t want to embarrass you. I was going to mention it to you the next time I saw you, but then I was busy doing some research and never got the chance.” “You just forgot to mention that I’d wandered into your bedroom in the middle of the night for no explicable reason?” Rarity said, aghast. Twilight rubbed the back of her neck, squirming slightly. “I’m sorry, Rarity.” “Goodness. Well, if I was in your bed one night, and Applejack’s bed on another…” Rarity paused, the implication sinking in. “... you might have been in other ponies’ beds as well!” Twilight declared, standing up. “We should get the rest of the girls, and see if you’ve been…” Twlight paused, blushing slightly. Rarity scowled at Twilight, “Don’t say sleeping around.” “It… does describe the situation, though,” Twilight said, smiling uncertainly. “Hmph,” Rarity hmph’d, turning her nose up in the air. “Be that as it may, I’d rather we not make it sound like I’m some… some… hussy!” Applejack chuckled. “Don’t you worry, Rarity, ah’m certain this is all a misunderstandin’.” “Spike?” Twilight called, “I need you to send a few letters!” “So, let me get this straight,” Twilight pronounced slowly, looking at all of her assembled friends. “Rarity’s ended up in every single one of your bedrooms over the past five nights?” “E-Everypony except me!” Rainbow Dash added, perhaps a bit too quickly. Twilight frowned at Rainbow Dash’s unconvincing tone. “Okay, everypony except Rainbow Dash has been visited by Rarity?” “Yepperooni!” Pinkie said, beaming. “Um, yes,” Fluttershy said, ears lowering slightly. Rarity covered her face, mortified. “Sweet Celestia, this is so embarrassing!” “And Rarity, you don’t remember going to any of their homes, or leaving early in the morning? As far as you’re concerned, you’ve just been having several nights of particularly poor sleep.” “That is correct. I’m sorry I don’t know anything more,” Rarity tapped a forehoof against the wood floor of the library nervously, “Oh, this is strange. I’ve been… in bed… with all of my best friends.” “Except me!” Rainbow Dash said, “I-I mean, what gives? Am I not… uh… friendly enough?” Rarity blushed. “I’m afraid I have no explanation, though I’m certain you’d be... visited... by me sooner or later. After all, I seem to be… visiting… my dearest friends, and you certainly are one.” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. “Whatever, I don’t need any marshmallow cuddles anyway. I’m an independent mare!” Twilight raised a brow at that. “We… aren’t really questioning that, Rainbow.” “Good! Because there’s n-nothing to question!” Rainbow plopped down on a cushion, sweating profusely. The girls sat in silence for a moment, staring at Rainbow Dash. Twilight sighed. “All right, so, we know that you’ve been appearing in pony’s beds, and it seems to be mostly your best friends. There’s a few explanations I can think of off the top of my head, but there is one in particular that is seeming very plausible. Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy tilted her head, “Me? What about me?” “Could you call Discord for me?” Twilight said with a knowing smirk. Rarity’s eyes widened. “Y-you don’t think that… Discord is behind this?” “That makes a lot of sense,” Applejack said, scowling. “Oh, I get it, he’s playing a prank on us!” Pinkie giggled. Fluttershy frowned at the other mares. “I know that the rest of you don’t really trust Discord, but I think it’s sad that you would accuse him of something so quickly without any proof.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Fluttershy, even you have to admit, this kind of nonsense is just the kind of thing Discord enjoys. It ain’t hurtin’ nopony, but it’s a real nuisance.” The girls stared at Fluttershy expectantly, and her ears drooped slightly. “Oh… I suppose that you’re right. He does enjoy his little jokes.” Fluttershy stood up, trotting over to the door of the Library, and opened it. She inhaled deeply, scowling into the wider world, and said at a slightly-higher-than-average volume, “Discord, come here!” There was a sound like a deflating balloon, and Discord appeared in the center of the room, reclined in an overstuffed armchair. The large draconequus wore a burgundy smoking jacket, pyjama pants, and loafers, and was staring at a centerfold in a magazine with a sly grin. He hummed appreciatively, turning the magazine on its side, and a section unfolded as his eyes widened slightly. The girls sat awkwardly for a moment before Twilight cleared her throat, loudly. Discord’s eyes didn’t move from the magazine, but his grin grew a little more wicked, “Really, my little ponies, if you expect me to just appear at a moment’s notice and cater to your every whim, you are sadly mistaken. I’ve just discovered the most delightful creation that’s cropped up in the last thousand years. It’s called p—” Twilight gasped, Pinkie Pie giggled, Rarity swooned dramatically, Applejack looked disgusted, Rainbow Dash snorted, and Fluttershy cried, “Discord!” Discord peered over the cover of the magazine, his wicked grin dropping into a deadpan expression, “It’s called periodicals.” “Oh,” the girls all said, simultaneously looking relieved. “Though pornography is rather appealing as well, yes,” Discord quickly added, his grin returning tenfold as he flipped around the centerfold to the stunned mares’ view, revealing a picture of… Discord, laughing wildly and pointing at them. Twilight rolled her eyes, “All right, you’ve had your fun, but we’ve had enough being messed with for one week.” “One week?” Discord said, his face the picture of innocence, tiny angelic halo included. “Why, I’ve only just arrived!” “The game is up, Discord,” Rainbow Dash declared, fluttering over to hover before him, “we know you’ve been messing with us and putting Rarity in everypony’s bed at night. Except mine.” Discord chuckled. “Oh, that is a devious little scheme! But you’re mistaken, Rainbow Dash. I had nothing to do with it!” He declared. “Prove it!” said Applejack. Discord frowned. “You’ll simply have to take my word for it. As much as I enjoy a good prank, half the fun is getting to take credit for it. As much as I’d enjoy being the mastermind behind something so amusing, I simply cannot. Tell me, what is it that I’ve supposedly been up to?” Rarity stomped forward, glaring at the draconequus, grinding her teeth. “You’ve been teleporting me into the beds of my best friends, and making me… snuggle them.” Discord leaned forward, his smirk disappearing. “Come again?” “You heard me! I’ve been snuggling my best friends in my sleep because of your… your… chicanery!” Rarity declared, stomping one hoof on the ground emphatically. Discord’s eyes narrowed, and he turned to look at the rest of the ponies. “Snuggling?” They all glanced at each other, before Twilight spoke up. “Well, she does act rather affectionate, it seems.” Discord looked back to Rarity. “Tell me, Rarity, when is your birthday?” “The twentieth of august, but I don’t see what that has to do with—” Rarity began, only to be interrupted by Discord. “The twentieth? And you’re twenty-five, now? And you’re unwed, uncoupled, or otherwise unattached?!” Discord practically shouted, slithering closer to Rarity and staring into her eyes. Rarity pouted slightly. “W-Well, yes, but you don’t have to be so blunt! I’m simply waiting for the right pony!” Discord slapped a paw over his face, chortling weakly. “Ohhoho, she’s waiting for the right pony…” Twilight stepped forward, her wings unfurling as she tried to appear her most official. “Discord, what are you talking about? You’re not telling us something, and that needs to end right now.” Discord openly laughed, pinching Twilight’s cheek in the manner of a doting uncle. “Oh, don’t you worry, Princess Twilight, things will be ending soon enough. I, on the other hand, am going to be leaving on vacation.” Discord snapped his fingers, his smoking jacket and chair disappearing, replaced instantly by a pink and neon blue floral shirt and a pair of sunglasses. “I hear the other side of the galaxy is nice this time of year. But you all have a good time waiting for Rarity to find the right pony.” Discord teleported, appearing near the Library door, and flung it open. Ponyville was not on the other side of the door, however, but an entirely different landscape. A fluorescing green sky framed wildly colored vegetation, leading up to pearlescent beaches and pink water that lapped at the bright shoreline. Discord made to step through, but paused, his head lowering for a moment, before he turned around and knelt down before Fluttershy, peering over the top of his glasses with the most serious expression anypony had ever seen on his face. His voice grew gentle as he asked the yellow mare, “Come with me?” Fluttershy took a step back, startled. “What?” “Come with me. Please.” Discord’s face was unreadable; a mask that had replaced his usual smirking demeanor. “D-Discord… I…” Fluttershy glanced back to her friends, uncertainty on her face. “I can’t.” Discord knelt for a moment longer, before he pulled his sunglasses back up over his eyes. “I understand. Maybe things will work out… and if they do, have your little dragon pal send me a letter. I’ll be back then.” He smirked his usual smirk, and bounded out the door and onto the pearly sand beach of the strange world beyond, “Well, sayonara, my little ponies!” With that, Discord slammed the door behind him. The ponies stood in stunned silence, and Fluttershy slowly sunk to her haunches, trembling. Rainbow Dash snorted, stepping forward and approaching the door to the library. “Some friend Discord is, walking out on us like that. I have half a mind to—” Rainbow Dash flung the door to the library open, revealing Ponyville beyond the door, same as it ever was, “—give him… a… well, that’s not really surprising.” Twilight shook her head, standing up. “Well, I guess the only way we know for sure it wasn’t Discord is to observe Rarity tonight and see what happens.” Fluttershy said something, so softly that almost nopony heard it, but Rarity stood and moved to sit beside her shaking friend. “What was that, darling?” “He’s afraid,” Fluttershy whispered. Rarity stared at Fluttershy, her bemused smile becoming a thin line of determination. “I’m certain that he was just playing another practical joke, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy shook her head, her eyes wincing closed. “No. It wasn’t him. He was afraid of something. He left, and he wanted me to come with him, and I told him no, and now he’s alone somewhere and afraid.” Rarity placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, comforting the yellow mare. “Discord is a great, big god of Chaos. He can take care of himself. Don’t you worry, Fluttershy, I’m certain that after tonight we won’t have anything more to worry about.” Fluttershy leaned into Rarity, peering tearily up at her through the pink curtain that was her mane. “I h-hope so, Rarity. I really do...”